Nationwide, 62 percent of eligible Americans voted, down from 64 percent in 2008.

Minnesota had led the nation in turnout in 12 of the previous 16 presidential elections, according to the Christian Science Monitor.

On Thursday, Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie disputed the Census methodology.

"We rely on the actual data that comes from Election Day and this has proven for decades to be the most accurate reflection of eligible voter turnout," says Ritchie. "Minnesota voters delivered the highest turnout rate of eligible voters in the nation in 2012 as reported last fall. In that election, we also saw a record turnout in our state's history."

He notes a report from the U.S. Election Project at George Mason University that put Minnesota tops in nation during the 2012 election at 75.7 percent.

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The Census breaks down the election by voting groups.

Young Minnesota voters, ages 18 to 25, voted at the second-highest rate in the nation at 57 percent, but that was down from 59 percent in the 2008 election.

Mississippi had the highest young voter turnout rate with 62 percent. Wisconsin was third with 53 percent.

White non-Hispanics had the highest turnout rate, 74 percent, among racial and ethnic groups in Minnesota, significantly eclipsing all other groups but slightly lower than the previous presidential election.

Asians, however, made huge gains in the state, improving their turnout rate from 34 percent in 2008 to 56 percent last year. That gave Minnesota Asians the highest voting rate among the 23 states where enough Asians voted for a statistically significant analysis.

"One reason is that, on the ground in the past few years, community organizations have become so much more civically engaged," said Sia Her, executive director of the state Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans.

Last year, groups such as the Hmong-American Partnership conducted more concerted voter outreach and mobilization efforts than in previous years, Her said. "What we've found is people will participate if they are asked."

In addition, she said, DFL state Sen. Foung Hawj from St. Paul's East Side and other Asian-American candidates created "so much buzz and a lot of excitement in the community."

Blacks in Minnesota had the third lowest turnout rate in the nation. About 49 percent of black Minnesotans voted in 2012, up from 46 percent in the previous election.

Across the nation, about two in three eligible blacks voted last year, a higher rate than the 64 percent of non-Hispanic whites who cast ballots. That marked the first time that blacks voted at a higher rate than whites since the Census Bureau start publishing voting statistics in 1996.

The Hispanic turnout rate in Minnesota was the lowest among racial groups, 33 percent, but it was up from 28 percent in the previous election. Minnesota's Hispanic voting rate was average compared with other states.

Among age groups in Minnesota, those over age 65 turned out at the highest rate, about 80 percent.